Which hand fracture is most commonly associated with punching a wall (Boxer's fracture)?

• A. Bennett's fracture
• B. Colles fracture
• C. Boxer's fracture
• D. Kienbock's fracture

Answer: (C)

When you strike a hard object with a clenched fist, the force is transmitted through the knuckles and into the metacarpals, commonly bending the neck of the fifth metacarpal. This pattern of injury is classic for a Boxer's fracture, named for its association with punching. The fracture occurs at the neck of the fifth metacarpal, which is the little finger’s bone in the hand.

The other options describe different injuries: a fracture at the base of the first metacarpal near the thumb (Bennett’s) from axial loading of a partially flexed thumb; a distal radius fracture from falling on an outstretched hand (Colles); and a condition affecting the lunate bone (Kienbock’s) rather than a punching-related hand fracture.